Weekend Highlights

Traditions are dear to us at WPI. As alumni, you participate in many traditions – first as students starting with the Bridge Crossing when you’re beginning your WPI careers, and then continuing as alumni with some of the traditions that take place as part of your class reunions and Alumni Weekend festivities. We celebrate these traditions throughout Alumni Weekend – the role they play in maintaining your connections to each other and to this special place, and the role they play in inspiring younger generations of alumni.

• During the weekend, members of the undergraduate classes of 1970, 1971, and 1972 participated in the traditional Fifty-Year Associates Induction, a time-honored tradition that celebrates the milestone of reaching 50 years since graduating from WPI.
  • WPI was delighted that this year we inducted the first women to into the Fifty-Year Associates: Lesley Small Zorabedian and Jayne Rosetti Granville were the first women to attend WPI in 1968 and are reunion celebrants from the class of 1972.
• The graduating class of 2022 was heartily welcomed into the Alumni Association and members of the class were presented with their reunion class banner.
• We also celebrated the tradition of reunion giving, which is reminiscent of WPI’s founding tradition—philanthropy. We thank the members of our undergraduate classes ending in 2 and 7, and the classes of 1970 and 1971, who generously contributed to their classes’ fundraising efforts in honor of their reunions.
  • As of Alumni Weekend, reunion celebrants had raised $41,253,783.40 to support WPI. The class with the highest level of participation was the class of 1952, with 44.6% of their living class members contributing to their class’s reunion fundraising. The class with the highest giving total was the class of 2002, with $10,260,141.63 dollars raised.
  • The class of 2022 also presented its Senior Class Gift of $19,992.22 which will be used to install a hammocking space near the Rubin Campus Center where students will gather and relax.

Each year, the WPI Alumni Association recognizes individuals for the outstanding contributions they have made to their professions and to WPI. This year, the Association recognized these individuals.

Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement

• Ken Balkus ’82
• Neal Cappellino ’87
• Paul Gaynor ’87
• Antony Koblish ’87
• Randall Partridge ’72 
• Jonathan Perry ’87
• Roberta (Nelson) Shea ’77

Ichabod Washburn Young Alumni Award for Professional Achievement

• Julie (Bliss) Mullen ’12
• Jody (Kenniston) Staruk ’02

Herbert F. Taylor Alumni Award for Distinguished Service to WPI

• Mike Abrams ’77
• Karen Oliver ’82 

John Boynton Young Alumni Award for Service to WPI

• Kathryn (Byorkman) Gauthier ’12
• Dan Sullivan ’12